Recruiting never stops and it's easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.
Running back at Nebraska is a glamourous position. The long list of greats who have played the position at the school helped forge an identity. But for the second straight offseason there are questions surrounding the position.
One question surrounding the official status of Maurice Washington has been answered. Derek Peterson did an excellent job of turning the page on the short-lived saga that is a must-read. (Premium)
I don’t question returning starter Dedrick Mills’ ability to be an impact player for the Huskers in 2020. His improvement over the course of the 2019 campaign, combined with his work ethic, is enough to make you feel good about his senior season. As we’ve learned watching this offense for two seasons in Lincoln, one back will not be enough. Redshirt freshman Rahmir Johnson is an exciting prospect. The New Jersey native will be fun to watch this spring. Ronald Thompkins’ talent isn’t in question but his health remains a mystery.
The Huskers signed two running backs that I really like in the 2020 recruiting class: Marvin Scott III and Sevion Morrison. Both will join the mix in June. Scott is a low to the ground runner at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds. He ran for more than 7,000 yards and 80 touchdowns in high school. Scott is also a power lifter who reportedly bench presses 405 pounds.
"Marvin Scott, I think, is as physically developed of a kid as we have in this class,” Coach Scott Frost said at his early signing day press conference. “From a physical standpoint, I think he is ready to come in and play college football immediately. He’s really strong, really well-built, in good shape. I think he’s going to be ready to come and contribute and compete right away."
Morrison also has good size at 6-foot and 200 pounds. He was also prolific as a runner in high school. Morrison ran for more than 5,000 yards and topped Spencer Tillman's school record for career rushing yards. As a senior, Morrison had 1,798 yards and 26 touchdowns.
"Sevion is a complete back,” Frost said. “I think at times this year, if we were going to run certain plays in our offense, we wanted one guy out there, and if we were going to do other things, we wanted another guy out there.
"It makes life a lot easier as a play-caller if one guy can do all those things. Sevion is that type of running back. He catches it well. He runs it well, has speed, and can run between the tackles with his size. He’s really an all-around guy.”
At least one of the incoming freshmen will likely need to see snaps in 2020. With the way the running back room is set up for Nebraska someone will have to hit the ground running. There are a lot of question marks in running backs coach Ryan Held’s room. One thing is for sure: there isn’t a lack of talent. That will make for a battle for playing time, which is just the way Held prefers it.
Recruit Watch
>> Huskers 2021 offensive line commit Henry Lutovsky has been a workout warrior during break. Here he is squatting an impressive 500 pounds.
500×8 pic.twitter.com/HovSU64miZ
— Henry Lutovsky I ⁵⁹ (@Luto_72) January 8, 2020
>> North Carolina 2021 defensive end Keeshawn Silver picked up an offer from the Huskers.
Blessed to receive an offer from Nebraska #trenches #warbros #outta252 pic.twitter.com/UCi8U2A4uo
— Keeshawn Silver (@_jumpman74) January 8, 2020
>> High 4-star outside linebacker Demeioun Robinson included the Huskers in his trimmed down top 13. The 2021 standout has quite the list of offers.
https://twitter.com/chopyoungbull/status/1214665362018623495
ICYMI
>> We are taking a look at the early enrollees that will be heading to Lincoln this month (Premium) starting with defensive back Henry Gray.
>> The staff is back to answer your mailbag questions including who could be this year’s plug and play freshman.
>> As Jacob Padilla explains, Thorir Thorbjarnarson is indispensable (Premium) to Nebraska’s starting lineup.
>> Check out the photo gallery from Nebraska’s big 76-70 win over Iowa on Tuesday night.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
